A440
293 posts
Jan 10, 2015
2:01 AM
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Its true that people generally don't see your combs/harps. While I don't have any pschyedelic ones, I do like having different colored combs to identify harps by key or tuning - for example, different combs on country tuning. Also on my session steels, I keep orange on the low keys, and have Seydel's sparkle grey comb on the normal keys. It is purely to help me be better organized.
I like the idea of the Big Six offering different colors on each key. And for awhile I think Suzuki made the C Bluesmaster with a red comb. The challenge is to come up with a color coding scheme you can stick to over time, and apply consistently across your collection, for example: Blue = A, Green = Bb, Red = C, etc. If this could be achieved, then I could stop putting stickers on the covers (although the sticker system also helps you to avoid grabbing a harp upside down).
Last Edited by A440 on Jan 10, 2015 2:15 AM
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FreeWilly
449 posts
Jan 10, 2015
2:42 AM
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It's a fetish. A nice one. It looks cool if someone want to check out your harps on a gig or something. But necessary? No way. If your wife buys into that, fine, but it's bullocks :) I'm pretty sure that any organized harp case + a halfway functioning memory could provide one with a pretty clear idea which harp is where....
I organize my harps in my case according to the circle of fifths btw. That is very practical when switching positions. And I like squaring the circle in a Mr. Satan kinda way like that ;)
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Littoral
1189 posts
Jan 10, 2015
5:31 AM
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I can see them and when I see these I think they're prepared to light something on fire. Fun is good.
Last Edited by Littoral on Jan 10, 2015 5:32 AM
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2chops
321 posts
Jan 10, 2015
5:51 AM
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I don't have any yet. But I am going to get some of Tom's sweet looking new SP20 combs. To me it's a matter of loving my instrument and wanting to pimp it out. I have an eye for beauty. And given how much time we spend with our stuff, why not have good lookin stuff?
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
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florida-trader
596 posts
Jan 10, 2015
6:08 AM
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I see lots of them – seeing as how I make them. The short answer is I make them because people like them.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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Philosofy
637 posts
Jan 10, 2015
9:17 AM
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I find darker colored combs have a warmer tone... (Ducks and runs...) :)
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Barley Nectar
594 posts
Jan 10, 2015
9:24 AM
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Those look cool to me. I wish I could justify the cost...BN
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KingoBad
1588 posts
Jan 10, 2015
9:44 AM
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What color is your underwear?
Not everyone will see it, but any interested party would like to see something cool...
Plus it had good mojo when you put love and care into your harps...
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Danny
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walterharp
1577 posts
Jan 10, 2015
10:06 AM
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same reason some companies stamp their names on the backs of the combs.. sometimes other people see them.. occasionally a player will play uncupped in front of a vocal mic and it would be visible to the audience then
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arzajac
1544 posts
Jan 10, 2015
10:19 AM
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I've said this before; The aftermarket combs industry is in great shape. I think both Tom and I are both busy keeping up with demand.
We both do our best to make the customer happy while offering products which are complimentary to one another. There's something for everyone.
Because of this and because there is obviously a wide range of needs and tastes for aftermarket combs, the success of one vendor is not the failure of the other (and vice versa).
Cheers Tom!
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Jan 10, 2015 12:46 PM
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BronzeWailer
1570 posts
Jan 10, 2015
1:34 PM
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I don't have any but it's part of the show. Wouldn't mind some.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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Rubes
925 posts
Jan 12, 2015
2:36 AM
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I'm with 2chops........most of mine are hot rodded inside and out! They're like my pets
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Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
Dads in Space at Reverbnation
Last Edited by Rubes on Jan 12, 2015 2:36 AM
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bigd
562 posts
Jan 13, 2015
1:59 PM
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I play in a club in NYC that has a lot of verve, i.e., a listening reactive audience, celebrities etc., and a lot of photos are taken. My case which (before many were ripped off) has/had lots of colorful GM combs - Randy Sandoval and Tom Halchak supplied. Hundreds of photos of that case and their combs had been taken over my last 4+ years in residence there!! Pragmatically there are positives for me too: The colors come to rep specific harps making them easy to grab.....
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Facebook
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schaef
38 posts
Jan 13, 2015
6:14 PM
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How much better does a $50 comb ,make a $30 harp sound?
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florida-trader
603 posts
Jan 13, 2015
6:27 PM
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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Barley Nectar
600 posts
Jan 14, 2015
6:32 AM
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I think it depends on your level of commitment and your skill level. For me, OOTB harps are fine but if I were more advanced or pro, these custom combs will kick our instrument up the performance ladder another rung or two. Something for everyone...BN
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florida-trader
604 posts
Jan 14, 2015
9:32 AM
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Here’s the thing about custom harps and custom combs or any other piece of equipment that you invest in today. And notice the word “invest” as opposed to “buy” or “purchase”. Everything is getting more expensive. As recently as 6 or 7 years ago Marine Bands cost $22.00 each. If a $22.00 harp blows out do you spend the money to have it fixed or do you just buy a new one? We have a few members of this forum who will replace a broken reed, clean and tune your harp for $15.00 + shipping. That’s a darn good price for that kind of service. $22.00 for a new harp or $15.00 to repair? Tough question. But now that Marine Bands cost $35 - $40 with Deluxes, Crossovers and Manjis and Seydel Session Steels costing in the $60 - $75 range, $15.00 to repair them sounds a lot better vs. replacing them. The point is that we need to start looking at our harps as long-term investments that you take care of. You maintain and repair them when needed. If you invested $295 on a custom Spiers Harmonica, how much would you be willing to spend to repair it if/when necessary? Me? I’d be willing to spend $50 to $100 if I had to.
A custom comb does make a positive difference in the way a harp plays. That is pretty much a given based upon how much demand there is in the market. I know I make customs combs so I am definitely biased. But I didn’t invent the custom comb business. I am simply meeting the demands of the market. A custom comb is an investment -an upgrade - that adds value to your harp. The subject of this thread is psychedelic combs. It is no more difficult to make a Fancy Acrylic comb that it is to make an aluminum or DuPont™ Corian® comb. I could make all my combs the same color, but why not combine functionality with beauty? That combination is evident in every facet of our lives – the cars we drive, the clothes we wear -pretty much everything. All I can say is that ever since I introduced the very colorful combs that have become a fixture in my business, they have been very popular. If you don’t like colorful combs, that’s OK – I make them in black too.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Jan 14, 2015 1:21 PM
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Goldbrick
820 posts
Jan 14, 2015
11:06 AM
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A '59 Les Paul, Slingerland radio King snare and 63 Stingray are investments.
A pretty harp is fun to have and play but I would not call it an investment
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Wailer
10 posts
Jan 14, 2015
7:55 PM
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The combs in the picture above, are made out of acrylic, aka plexiglass, which is much stronger than the stock ABS plastic combs.
They are also CNC machined, which will give you a higher quality product, as opposed to the injection molding process for ABS plastic combs.
So, they're not collectibles like a Stratocaster or Stingray are, but they definitely are an investment in longevity and quality..
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JustFuya
696 posts
Jan 14, 2015
8:38 PM
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Somewhere between Toronto & Calgary:
I rebuilt the engine on one of the objects in this picture. The other rebuilt me. But guess which one I parked at a Long Island RR station for weeks at a time without harassment or covet. It's the purr that really counts.
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florida-trader
606 posts
Jan 15, 2015
3:16 AM
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JustTuya - That is the beginning of some pretty good lyrics. I get your meaning.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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nacoran
8218 posts
Jan 15, 2015
11:18 AM
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Remember the thing about combs is if you get a good quality comb you can swap it to another harp when the reeds go bad. There are lots of little differences between combs from brand to brand and model to model that make a harp a keeper. Once you decide you are going to upgrade your comb why not psychedelic colors? Or simple black and white if that's your preference. I think most of what you are paying for is the precision milling and tight tolerances. After that, the difference in cost between how it looks is fairly small.
I'd love to be able to go into a store and instead of buying a stock harp I'd love to look at a collection of gorgeous combs and covers and buy a set of reed plates all in one stop. Until one of these guys gets a distribution deal the best we can do is do it online. I know, the audience is less likely to see a harp than a guitar, but it's still something we can customize for our own personal gratification.
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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shakeylee
2 posts
Jan 18, 2015
1:05 PM
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i am going to buy some blue moon combs soon. there is a picture of a blue moon comb in a seydel 1847 on their ebay page that is just the most beautiful thing i have ever seen.
i do have a hetrick comb and an arzajac comb and they are very good.i recommend the arzajac comb to anybody.
anyway,the custom combs make the harps sound a little different and make identification easy.
also,the examples i have,are perfectly flat,quite an improvement over stock.
plus,the blue moon combs are just beautiful.if they started making a comb for harpmaster/bushman along the lines of their SP20 combs,i would buy at least six right away.
as it stands,i will prob by their manji comb ,or an MS comb,or a MB comb,or a seydel comb.......
last night i assembled a harp with an arzajac comb,hohner plates,suzuki screws and hering cover plates.it is a good life.
Last Edited by shakeylee on Jan 20, 2015 6:49 AM
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A440
312 posts
Jan 18, 2015
1:53 PM
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Combs last for forever. Covers scratch and dent. Reeds wear out or break. So a comb is an investment, not a running cost.
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florida-trader
611 posts
Jan 18, 2015
1:59 PM
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Just for you shakeylee
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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shakeylee
6 posts
Jan 18, 2015
2:37 PM
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OMG!!! i am in love :)
my wife did a double take when she saw these too!
but seriously,if you had a harmonica that beautiful,wouldn't you reach for it all the time??
that orange one makes my heart skip a beat!
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shakeylee
21 posts
Jan 20, 2015
6:53 AM
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tom, there must be an incredible demand for the new special 20 combs.
do you think there would ever be a high enough market demand to make a harpmaster/bushman comb like that?
i don't know if would be worth it,but i can dream!
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www.shakeylee.com
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Steve Harvell
186 posts
Jan 20, 2015
4:41 PM
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I agree with shakeylee, I play the "Suzuki" Harpmaster more than the Hohner Special 20, would be cool to have your combs made for them too. Any chance of that ever happening ?
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florida-trader
615 posts
Jan 20, 2015
6:24 PM
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@ shakeylee and Steve Harvell.
Yes, the demand for the new SP20 combs is indeed (nearly) overwhelming. It is exactly what I hoped for but still, I’m still a little surprised by it all. In all honesty, they really are terrific combs.
Will I ever make a recessed comb for the HarpMaster? Hard to say. I do agree, by the way, that the HarpMaster is a great harp. I understand why you are both fans. I have no idea what the numbers are but I would guess for every HarpMaster in existence there are probably 50 or 100 Special 20’s. In the past several years I have had dozens of inquiries about a recessed Special 20 comb. I don’t remember getting any about HarpMaster combs until I came out with the Special 20 combs. But I have had several so that’s something to think about. If I did make some it would be in limited quantities. What kind of material would you be interested in? Aluminum? Corian? Acrylic? I’ll see what I can do.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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shakeylee
31 posts
Jan 20, 2015
6:31 PM
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acrylic is most exciting to me,but really ANY material would be great.
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www.shakeylee.com
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